Repository:
University of California, Irvine. Library. Special Collections and Archives.

Irvine, California 92623-9557

Abstract: The collection comprises a photograph album of over 100 black-and-white photographic prints related to the Chinese Eastern
Railway line of the Trans-Siberian Railway in the 1920s. The photographs depict railway lines, bridges, train stations, cargo
loading, the manufacture of locomotive parts, the interiors and exteriors of railway cars, and group portraits of railway
staff. Photographs also depict tourists, local people, and landscapes along the route. The album also includes several photographic
postcards of Harbin China, a few photomechanical prints, and a photographic reproduction of a black-and-white painting of
Hingan Railway Loop. Most photographs have handwritten captions in Russian.

Important Information for Researchers

Access

The collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Property rights reside with the University of California. Copyrights are retained by the creators of the records and their
heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.

Preferred Citation

Photograph Album of the Chinese Eastern Railway. MS-M018. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine,
California. Date accessed.

For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this
collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. V. I. Sourine, 1972.

Historical Background

Completed in 1901, the Chinese Eastern Railway is the trans-Manchurian line of the Trans-Siberian Railway that runs from the
Transbaikal region to Vladivostok. By 1904 the line from Vladivostok was linked all the way to Moscow, and by 1916 the Trans-Siberian
Railroad was complete. At the time of its construction the Chinese Eastern Railway was the shortest route from European Russia
to Russia's port (Vladivostok) on the Sea of Japan. China granted Russia the right to construct the Chinese Eastern line
in Manchuria during a period of secret alliance between the two countries (circa 1896). The Chinese seized control of the
line from the Soviets in 1927, but relinquished control in 1929. In 1935 the Soviet Union sold the line to Japanese-controlled
Manchukuo. Following World War II Chinese ruler Chiang Kai-shek granted the Soviets a thirty-year partnership in the line.
The Soviet Union returned its share of the Chinese Eastern Railway to the People's Republic of China in 1953.

The collection comprises a photograph album of over 100 black-and-white photographic prints related to the Chinese Eastern
Railway line of the Trans-Siberian Railway (Velikai a Sibirskaia magistral) circa 1920s. The photographs depict railway lines,
bridges, train stations, cargo loading, the manufacture of locomotive parts, the interiors and exteriors of railway cars,
and group portraits of railway staff. Photographs also depict tourists, local people, and landscapes along the route. The
album also includes several photographic postcards of Harbin China, a few photomechanical prints, and a photographic reproduction
of a black-and-white painting of Hingan Railway Loop. Most photographs have handwritten captions in Russian. The photographs
range from 2 x 3 to 9 x 11 inches.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.